Peters



EDMON'D JOSEPH v'ROI'JLLI y A,STAIFlEs ,Y

AND LEonoE ALEXIS. smoren, or: PARIS, )FRANCE t .SPECIFICATION fomi'agpari; of nettersfrtent No. aaroaaaaiea April 1o, 1:38a.l Applicationfue@ August. s, 18er. sriai No. 246,450. (No inoai.) Patented inriancexovmper 26, iss, No. lia'soo.

To all whom it may concern:

Y Be it known that we, EDMOND JOSEPHy ROULLI andLoNoE ALEXIS SINGIER,'both citizens of the Republic of France, and resid-` ing inpParis,France, have invented ycertainy Improvements lin Car-Couplings, (forVVwhich Y we have obtained French Letters Patent No.A

179,900, dated November 26, 188'6,)of`whicli the following isaspecification.

car-frames in sections.

Our invention consists of an improved automatic carcoupling,designed'with' a View ot' insuring the coupling of the cars even oncurves of the shortest possible radius,.and to prevent accidentaluncoupling. f y, l l

l In the -accompanying drawings, Figure l1` is a side viewof thecoupling, with parts of the partly in section.' Fig. 2A is a similarview jaws on one of the cars.

showing'the partsy about to be coupled. Fig. 3 is a sectional viewthrough the couplingnal section drawn to a smaller scale. Fig. 5 is acorresponding plan view, showing ypor- Y tions of the car-frames, aswell'as the coupling mechanism; andgFig. 6 is a corresponding end viewof one of the cars.-

Our improved coupling is of that class in which au eye or loop on onecar acts in comof spring-jaws, M M', on

, f and forming part of a rigid draw-bar, A,"car 40 ried by thecar-frame, and the eye or loop is shown as in a vertical plane. The sideb c of the eye or loop is shaped like a knife-edge, as shown in Fig. 2,andthe faces of the jaws M M are beveled or inclined, as shown at n n,

in Figs. 2 and 2`,'so that when the 'eye or loop approaches; theclosedjaws on the'appreach of two cars the eye or loop willitself enterbetween and open the jaws, which are4 normally kept closed by Vasuitable spring or springs, R, acting on their lever #arms m at therear. y

Fig.- 2 is aplan view, f

Fig. 4. is allongitudi-V i om@ i f The two jawsfM M arepivoted togetherby -a central pin or pivot, O,`Fig.3, and theyare `so connected tothe'yoke F ouille draw-bar of` 'the' car that the lnorep'nlling strainlispnt 4on* them the more the jaws M M will tend to close.

vFor this .purpose the-lever-arms mofthepiv'- 4oted jaws are connectedby pairs of klinks Z Z" tothe arms of t'heyoke F. j APivot-pins e passthrough the arms and theonter ends fof the links, while pins t t'connect the inner` e'ndsvvot", the links together Aand to the arms ofthe yokes, Y

as 'shown in. Fig. 3. Theselinks we l,have shownasbeing both above andbelow thepiv' f votedjaws M M', andthey are alwaysV slet at an angle toeach other, so as ,topform in effect a toggle-joint, tothe cen-ter ofwhich the yoke F is connected,'as shown yin 2, s'o tlat theniore'pulling'strainis puty upon the coupling themore difficult will itbe'for'the jawsto kopeng `Ihus there is no danger of the cars'be-.

cominguncoupled under pulling strains'. l p `SlottedV bars-S S connectvthe two pins e e.' One bar, S; may be acted on 'by-the short-arm p, oran upright pivoted lever, P, to be oper'y atedfrom the end platform ofthe' car, as,

'shown in Figs. l, `3, 4, 5, and 6, or the' bar SJ, K'

may form part of the lever p, Figs. 2 ,and'2*,' and be extended outy,toward the side'of the` 86, .Y

car for uncoupling from that point by barsrT, connected together withinthe car-frame by a crossbar, T. Asy shown in Figs. 4- and,

this bar rrlv is composed in the present in`v stance of two plateshaving midway between them a swiveled nut, p, through whichpasses thethreaded portion of a longitudinal rod', N. j. f

spring, R,which constitutes the draw-spring. The 4Screwed rod N isprovided with a worm-` Wheel, rigidly fixed on the rod N" and The outer.end of this rod is acted kon by a Y gearing with an endless screw, F',keyed upon a transverse shaft, Z, whichrissupported in suitablebearings, and whose extremities at i each side of the carareiprovidedwith hand` wheels Y. By turning these wheels'in a given direction thescrewed rod N is screwed into the -swivel-nut, Fig. 4, and `the couplingisVV 'thereby tightened. This rod N re/c'eivesv allv the'strain of thetraction independentlyl of the tightening action-that is to say, it isalways` v free to move longitudinally. It is also to be Yobserved thatthe long arm of theiever P so as to confine it.

stands in a vertical position and terminates in a handle, and that itworks over a toothed sector 0r guide, D, which retains it in therequired positions for coupling or uncoupling. The handle, as indicatedin Figs. 4 and G, is placed conveniently within reach of the brakeman,who is stationed on the end platform of the car and is not required togo between the cars to couple or uncouple them. v

The operation of coupling with the aid of this apparatus is most simple.When two vehicles are brought together, the draw-bars present theknife-edges at b c on the loops or eyes a b c between the jaws M and M',which have corresponding inclines n n', and are thereby opened to admitthe loop, and then are closed automatically by the action 0f the springR,

When thus locked together, the bars remain free in the'planeperpendicular to the lever without any danger of breakage. Moreover, thelength of the jaws is such that the loops cannot knock against the backeven when the buffers are screwed or pushed up as far as they will go.To uncouple, it suiiices to push over the lever P on each car, so as tocause the bars S S to move backward and compel the jaws t0 turn on theiraxis or pin O, Fig. 7, and thus free the eyes when it is desired toseparate the cars.

In the arrangement hereinbefore described the jaws M and M are situatedin a horizontal plane; but they may be arranged to work in a verticalplane While the eyes or loops are placed horizontally. In all otherrespects the apparatus need undergo no modification; but it is advisableto place the draw-bar on a horizontal axis at x, so that the said harmay assume any required inclination or angle in accordance with possibleunequal heights or inequalities in the level of the vehicles to becoupled.

The bar can be retained in the horizontal position or inclined at anydesired angle by means of one or more ratchet-wheels fixed on the axisor pin of the joint, and retained in any desired position by means ofspring-pawls attached to a fixed support.

The operating-lever P is so arranged as to admit of being worked fromthe end platform of the car or from either side of the car.

We claim as our inventionl. An automatic car-coupling comprising an eyeor loop on one car, in combination with a pair of spring-jaws on theother car, a supportingyoke for these jaws, and toggle-joint linksconnecting the lever-armsof the jaws with the supporting-yoke,substantially as and for the purpose set forth. A

2. An automatic car-coupling comprising an eye or loop on one car, incombination with a pair of spring-j aws on the other car, asupportingyoke for these jaws, toggle-joint links connecting thelever-arms of the jaws with the supporting yoke, and an operating-leveralso connected to the said lever-arms, substantially as described.

3. An automatic car-coupling comprising a bar having an eye or loop onone car, in combination with a pair of jaws on the other car, a drawspring and rod for each, and devices for regulating the tension,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specificationinthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDMOND JOSEPH ROULLI. LONCE ALEXIS SINGIER.

VVitnesseS:

RENUARD, LEON FRANCKEN.

